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Vol. 2 No. 3 (2023): August 2023 Issue

Techno-economic assessment of fixed solar panels and sun-tracking technology in solar farms in the districts of Tehran and Qazvin in Iran

MJ Mohamadkhani
School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Farshad Kowsary
School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0429-2325
Mohammadhadi Ghasemi
Department of Mechanical Engineering, West Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Corresponding Author(s) : MJ Mohamadkhani

mj.mkhani@ut.ac.ir

Future Energy, Vol. 2 No. 3 (2023): August 2023 Issue

Abstract

Energy is regarded as one of the most pressing issues confronting the world, particularly in Iran. However, Iran depends mostly on fossil fuels, alternative energy sources are gradually being replaced to cover its energy needs. The efficiency and performance of two types of solar panel systems, fixed and sun-tracking, were evaluated in this study in two different regions: Tehran and Qazvin. According to this investigation, the Qazvin solar farm generates 16,763 MWh with fixed panels and 18,017 MWh when sun-tracking technology is used. Tehran solar farm yields 15,380 MWh with fixed panels and 16,528 MWh when sun-tracking technology is used. The sun-tracking technology increases solar power generation by 7.5 percent. However, due to the high irradiation in Iran, fixed PV systems operate well enough and appear to be considerably more cost-effective than sun-tracking systems. Financial analysis was conducted, taking into account all expenditures, losses, profits, Return On Investment (ROI), payback timeframes, Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and Net Present Value (NPV). Net Present Value (NPV) at the discount rate of 12% of Tehran solar farm is calculated 724,771.4 USD, and for Qazvin’s one is calculated 810,471.4 USD. In addition, the normal payback time for Tehran and Qazvin are 7.35 and 6.78 years, respectively. The analysis sensitivity has been done based on three main features, sales revenue, costs of assets, and operating cost, which massively affect the project for instance, considering Tehran’s solar far, when the costs of assets increase by 12%, the IRR will drop by 1.71%. On the other hand, when the costs of assets decrease by 12% the IRR will increase by 2.13%.

Keywords

Solar panels Photovoltaic systems Techno-Economic assessment Cost analysis
Mohamadkhani, Mohamadjavad, Farshad Kowsary, and Mohammadhadi Ghasemi. 2023. “Techno-Economic Assessment of Fixed Solar Panels and Sun-Tracking Technology in Solar Farms in the Districts of Tehran and Qazvin in Iran”. Future Energy 2 (3):29-37. https://fupubco.com/fuen/article/view/77.
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